NEW SCHAEFFERSTOWN — Mady Ulsh and Mallory Sanders are not ready for their journey to end.

Nativity’s two seniors want to keep proving doubters of their surging team wrong.

The Golden Girls’ underclassmen are more than willing to pitch in their fair share, too.

Ulsh’s driving bucket with 50 seconds left tied the game, Sanders’ pair of free throws with 8.4 seconds remaining provided a two-point lead and Julia Klembara’s rebound of a miss secured Nativity’s 50-48 victory over Linden Hall in the PIAA Class A second round at Tulpehocken High School on Thursday night.

The District 11 champion Golden Girls (14-13), who have won five straight postseason games, advance to Saturday’s quarterfinals to meet Lebanon Catholic, a 68-33 winner over Faith Christian, at a site and time to be determined.

“Never underestimate the heart of a champion,” Nativity coach Scott Forney said. “Right now, they’re playing all heart. It’s fun to watch. Linden Hall’s a helluva team. Those two bigs and their guards are very athletic.”

In a game that neither team led by more than six points, Nativity’s pressure defense came up with a few big turnovers in the final minutes to erase a three-point deficit with 2:58 left in the game.

Ulsh hit a 3-pointer to tie the game at 46 with 2:31 left, then after two free throws by Linden Hall’s Tahrington Phillips, Ulsh slashed to the bucket for a driving layup following a turnover to knot the score at 48 with 50 ticks remaining.

“We just didn’t want to lose,” Ulsh said. “We worked hard for this all season. It was a team win and team effort against a good team.”

Ulsh, who knocked down a trio of 3-pointers, picked the perfect night for her best scoring night of the season with 17 points. She also helped spearhead a defense that forced 23 turnovers.

“I just didn’t want the journey to be over,” Ulsh said. “I put the team on my shoulders, stepped up and got a good win.”

Added Forney: “Offensively, we ended up with seven 3s. We had five 3s in the first half. Mady Ulsh probably had the game of her life with the outside shooting. She’s usually the one controlling the offense and she did both. When it comes to these playoffs, that’s what happens. You have girls that step up, and that’s what these girls are doing right now.”

Plenty of contributors stepped up for Nativity against the Lions (24-3).

Sanders go-ahead free throws came as the result of an offensive rebound off a missed foul shot.

“My teammates are always there for me,” said Sanders, who scored 10 points. “They’re always pushing me at practice. I knew we could win that game. Just our hard work all year put us there.”

The Golden Girls (14-13) attacked the glass more successfully in the second half after being out-rebounded 22-13 at halftime.

“I stressed to them in the walk-through that we had today that we had to control the paint,” Forney said. “I know those girls are big but if you put a body on them and box them out … We weren’t really doing that and finally in the second half it was a total team effort.”

Other Nativity players stepped up as well, like Mykenzie Malacusky, whose steal in the final minutes led to a key bucket. Like Klembara, who secured the clinching rebound. And like Madison Clarke, who was the third Golden Girl in double figures with 10 points.

“Defensively, we really hunkered down when we needed to,” Forney said. “I thought we’d get some turnovers in the press. Our girls did a heckuva job when we put that press on. We threw some havoc at them, especially in the second half there.”

Both Forney and Sanders alluded to a difficult Schuylkill League and non-league schedule that prepared Nativity, which entered the playoffs with a 9-13 record, for helping pull out a win in a closely contested game.

“People always doubted us all year long — people at our school, people in the public,” Sanders said. “We’re doing that to show them that we have this all year long. Our schedule’s (been) a test that I believe we’ve handled well.”

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